At first glance it may have looked like chaos. But a closer look and it was obvious there was so much more than that taking place in the McFall Elementary classrooms during Global School Play Day.
“It’s so fun to just watch them play,” said McFall Principal Ben Sleeman. “There’s a lot they can learn from playing - like problem solving, conflict resolution, sharing and just learning to interact with others. I love it.”
Throughout the building students were encouraged to spend much of the Wednesday just playing. They brought games and toys from home to go along with items in the classroom.
“They get a chance to socially connect with each other. Playing is learning. They are still learning things like social skills, creativity, imagination and taking turns,” Young 5’s teacher Jasmine Koster said as she helped a small group of students work on a puzzle.
The imaginations were definitely charged. One girl explained how she was working at the veterinarian office with a display of colored cubes put into small containers. “That’s the medicine for the animals,” she said as she dispensed the medicine to waiting customers.
“This is my dinosaur,” roared another student as his T-Rex battled with a dragon-faced car-carrier and a John Deere tractor. A group of girls donned colorful costumes as they pretended to be Disney princesses while others cradled baby dolls in their laps. A stuffed pet named “Snakey” was coiled around his owners’ shoulders and a race car disintegrated just as it was designed to do as it flew down a track.
“My lizard is named Harvey,” one young boy said as he scooted Harvey along the windowsill. Harvey was trying to get away from a triceratops close on his tail.
A bucket of Legos became a haven for creativity - from a flying car to a snowmobile and an alien ship. Blankets draped over chairs and tables became houses and forts for students and their stuffed animals. Some even came with chain link fences and hammocks made from blankets tied between chair legs.
Young students colored and drew pictures. They played favorite board and card games like Uno, Candyland, Headbandz and Tapple. They reached for the blue squares, red circles and yellow spots in Twister and giggled and squealed as they toppled in a pile.
The options were limited only by imagination and creativity.
First grade teacher Eliana Condotti said she likes watching her students play and interact. “They are still so young and their imaginations can go so, so far. They need to just play sometimes,” she said.
Global School Play Day is an annual event celebrated on the first Wednesday in February. It was established in 2015 by a group of educators who wanted to promote unstructured play time for children in schools. It’s a day when children learn some valuable life lessons and skills - all while enjoying the simple pleasure of playing.